Only in Darkness

2: Crime Scenes and Cafés

Detroit, Michigan

2018

Bleary eyes cracked open, deep as the Pacific Ocean in winter and blood shot. Waves slowly sliding around the dark room and newspaper covered windows. A sense of dread and panic slowly building as her confusion grew.

"Hey sleepy head." Every hair on her exposed arms stood on end, gooseflesh plaguing every inch of open skin. Automatically trying to move away from the bouncing echo pulled at the tender flesh of her bound wrists. The old rope burning her skin red with irritation.

"Everything's okay. I promise." The warm voice, the loving tone she had forced herself to forget ripping through her ears like claws. Drawing blood and demanding attention. A whimper involuntarily fell from her lips as she continued to pull, more violently now, at her restraints. The chair's back digging into her spine just like she remembered, exactly like she had done her best to erase from her head. But not even the most extreme compartmentalization could save her from this.

"He lied! Our entire lives he lied; how could you side with him?!" The voice was paired with a face now, one so painfully familiar she could feel her stomach wanting to empty it's contents all over her shoes. A boy standing at six feet even with midnight black hair and hazel eyes with thick lashes most girls would be jealous of. Darkness crawling in at the edges of his blurry figure, the edges of his waist and shoulders atomizing and reforming over and over.

An armored body suit the color of pitch clinging to the built muscles he had gotten from training since he was barely a teen. Poison green stripes going down the sides of his suit, with matching gloves and mask. Paying homage to his roots and deciding what side of the story he would be on.

The snarl on his chapped lips causing his nose to flair, something that only happened when he was really upset.

"I'm not taking anyone's side. Please Kyle-" Her voice sounded without her moving her lips as the memory audio played out. Her at the mercy of the past. The chocked sob ripping from her throat silently as she was subjected to her own personal hell.

"I should have known, why would the perfect princess want to go against daddy dearest huh? Even with knowing what kind of person he truly is. God! I'm so stupid." The betrayal rung out and sharp, boiling hot tears ran down her face. Knowing what came next and feeling as if she was suffocating. Her chest filling up with a pressure she associated with holding her breath underwater for too long, burning.

"This is going to hurt."

The pain was indescribable.

Her voice box tearing itself to shreds, blood curdling screams filling the otherwise empty warehouse. Her every atom under his bare fingertips being ripped apart and mixed up into a misty version of herself. Being mixed around, tossed, and put back together without a care.

Sirens wailed, flashing red and blue lights filtering in harshly through the newspaper covered windows.

"You're okay. You're okay. Dad's got you. You're okay."

Marlowe's eyes jerked open; face covered in a sheet of ice cold sweat. Choking on an invisible substance as she shot up and out of the computer chair. Muffled chattering entering her ears as she tripped over her feet and fell back onto the ground. Eyes wide and filled with terror as a black and green figure approached her, hands held out and reaching for her.

No, no, no, no.

The Cosmic Staff ran through the mirage, the intense glow burning her eyes almost as bad as the computer screen had done all night. The living weapon swooped down, nudging their wielder and letting out comforting clicks and shifts of light. With her chest heaving Marlowe shakily grabbed onto the Staff's body with a clammy palm and let them pull her to her feet. The Staff holding most of her weight as her knees shook.